Inventing David Geffen Blu-ray delivers great video and superb audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
Notoriously press and camera-shy, David Geffen reveals himself for the first time in this unflinching portrait of a complex and compelling man, directed, produced and written by American Masters creator Susan Lacy.
Many images come to mind when the name David Geffen is mentioned. A protector of music, a producer of movies, a billionaire, and a tenacious businessman, Geffen has lived quite a life. Filled with the type of entertainment world high adventure few will ever be able to equal, Geffen has built a brand name of quality and longevity, often from mere scraps of ideas, trusting in his instincts and a good hearty yell to broker deals and secure interests, with over 50 years of ladders climbed, egos endured, and financial risks to show for his work. "Inventing David Geffen" is the bruised valentine to the man's exalted place in the show business pantheon, finding writer/director Susan Lacy inspecting the ups and downs, the laughter and the tears of the mogul's life as he made his way from a neurotic boy from Brooklyn to one of the world's richest individuals, personally responsible for some of the most famous musical acts and hit movies around. The guy even approached gay dude nirvana by trying to marry Cher, solidifying his status as a legend on all levels of personal and public achievement.
It's an impossible task to shrink down 69 years of life into a tidy two-hour documentary, yet Lacy nearly captures it all to satisfaction. She's impatient, jumping around the timeline to extract the juiciest nuggets of information first, pushing her subject's origin story away from the opening of the program. The narrative is disorientating but the facts remain spellbinding, following Geffen as he begins his career with a lie to help join the ranks at the William Morris Agency; his rise as a musical guru and manager, developing performers such as Laura Nyro and Jackson Browne, eventually forming Asylum Records (with Elliot Roberts), a label that carried early efforts from fresh bands such as the Eagles; his move to hit feature films such as "Risky Business" and "Beetlejuice, which cannon-fired the glitz he always dreamed about into his life; the birth of Geffen Records is recounted, with blockbuster acts such as Guns N' Roses, Aerosmith, and Nirvana; and the foundation of movie studio Dreamworks (with Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg) is poured, with Geffen's hope to step away from the spotlight quickly overcome by his natural way with showmanship. It's an enormous career, with each stop provided an acceptable amount of time to sink in, even without a full inspection of the particulars.
Interviewees are numerous and effusive, excited to join Lacy's chorus of opinion. Iconic personalities such as Steven Spielberg, Don Henley, Neil Young, Cher, Elton John, Tim Burton, Jackson Browne, Rahm Emanuel, David Crosby, Yoko Ono, Barry Diller, and Tom Hanks provide a commentary and appreciation of Geffen's life and time, most in awe of his unstoppable work ethic and sheer bravado. A few seem a little surprised to be asked to comment during a celebration of Geffen's legacy. The only person who initially appears to be missing is Laura Nyro, a singer/songwriter credited in the documentary as Geffen's first great obsession, tracking how he pulled this shy girl from obscurity and turned her into a formidable force of music and lyrics, despite her best intentions to escape the blazing heat of the spotlight. "Inventing" fixes on Nyro for a substantial amount of screen time, yet she's only viewed in photographs. Her 1997 death isn't even mentioned (watching the show, I assumed she was upset with Geffen and refused to participate), which would've been a remarkable event to cover considering her longstanding intimacy with Geffen and his tireless efforts to make her a household name. Alas, this puzzle remains unfinished, denting an otherwise rounded look at the tycoon.
The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation benefits from an explosion of color, emerging from interviewee outfits to the various album cover designs of the Geffen stable of artists. Rich blues and reds are common, while more natural hues and skintones look decidedly human, displaying the varied sense of personal health found with the participants. Shadow detail is strong, with hearty blacks providing balance to the viewing experience. Mild banding is detected. The program makes heavy use of various film and video sources to build Geffen's history, yet this juggling of age and quality is handled satisfactorily, with smooth transitions between eras and image wear and tear. Fine detail varies, but remains largely persuasive, capturing the aging process (predictably, Cher is the most softly photographed celebrity) and the texture of luxurious fabrics.
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix is eased along by a collection of top music hits, with songs from The Eagles, Joni Mitchell, Guns N' Roses, and John Lennon helping to sonically communicate the wealth of smashes Geffen personally oversaw. The songs sound full, with precise instrumentation and a crisp presentation, leaking into the surrounds for mild immersion that's only intermittently employed. Interviewees are of primary concern, with solid center representation, while the front stage melds into a pleasing blend of memories and scoring, evenly balanced and emotionally available. Low-end is minimal but rarely missed. No distortion is detected.
"World Class to Say the Least" (5:41, HD) explores Geffen's taste in paintings, interviewing art dealer Larry Gagosian, who fawns over the mogul's collection. Unlike the documentary, this supplement goes out of its way to celebrate Geffen's wealth and procurement of the finer things in life.
"Focus Focus Focus" (3:36, HD) isolates Geffen's voracious appetite for success and the temper involved to achieve his vision for a project. Chatting up the likes of Tom Hanks and Bruce Springsteen producer John Landau, the shared response is one of awe, with Geffen determined to best his competition and remain fully informed about everything he can lay his eyes on.
"Who's Paying the Shipping" (5:56, HD) returns to Landau, who shares a story about Geffen's once mighty love for Tiffany lamps and his fight to return one of his earliest acquisitions. Again, Geffen's temper is highlighted, much to Landau's horror.
"Remembering Mom" (2:01, HD) discusses the idiosyncrasy and tenacity of Geffen's mother, Batya, with memories shared by friends such as Marlo Thomas and former Geffen Company president Eric Eisner, who recalls a property fight between Batya and neighbor James Woods.
"Free Man in Paris" (2:32, HD) talks to musician Robbie Robertson, who shares an anecdote concerning Geffen's horror when he discovers a pricey Parisian hotel he shared with three other guests didn't accept credit cards -- a problem requiring some shifty thinking to solve.
"Three Little Words" (5:33, HD) returns to most of the interviewees, asking them to contribute three words that best describe Geffen. Most are quick on the draw, offering friendly thoughts to pay tribute. Others take their time, carefully choosing their choices. A select few are as blunt as Geffen.
Far from a run of triumphs, "Inventing David Geffen" also burrows into the subject's combustibility and fragility, discussing a cancer scare, his beloved mother, towering political influence, and his life living in the shadows of AIDS. A multifaceted, deceptively composed fellow, Geffen is perhaps the best conductor of his own story, opening up to Lacy as he recalls his past experiences with an earned sense of accomplishment. Though the program does clear room to genuflect before the subject, it's also unafraid to explore the complications of Geffen's years and how his failures have managed to feed his successes. There's a long and winding road of history to cover, and while it's lacking true behavioral grit, "Inventing David Geffen" manages to convey the soul of the man without obscuring his complexity, refusing an outright celebration to construct a proper investigation.
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